UK Catholics Urged to Lobby Against Gay Marriage

The leader of Roman Catholics in England and Wales has urged followers to write to their representatives in Parliament to oppose the government's plans to allow gay marriage.

In a letter read to congregations over the weekend, Archbishop Vincent Nichols called for Catholics to express their views "clearly, calmly and forcefully."

Nichols says he is concerned about how a change in the law would affect what children are taught about marriage.

He says he wants members of Parliament to "defend, not change, the bond of man and woman in marriage as the essential element of the vision of the family."

Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative-led government plans to introduce legislation in January to allow gay marriages. Recent opinion polls suggest a large majority of the public supports the change.

Copyright Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Comments

Anonymous, 2012-12-31 11:58:08

You would think Catholics would lobby against priests molesting their flock, but I guess sticking your head in the sand and praying is better.

Anonymous, 2012-12-31 11:58:09

During the middle ages the LGBTQ community tried to fight for rights sadly they failed due to the church now we fight again but this time the church is losing its grip on the people and they know this and they are scared I can’t wait to see what history will have to say about them

BOB KELLERMAN, 2012-12-31 14:10:40

with the goal of getting Catholics to be on we could not do better than this Pope i we could not do better than this Pope is doing

Anonymous, 2012-12-31 18:02:09

You would think they would defend marriage by protecting it from a +50% divorce rate. Besides, marriage is civil (government) and holy matrimony is religious (not my god).

Anonymous, 2013-01-01 09:10:34

I clearly, calmly and forcefully urge Mr. Nichols to lift his beautiful, gold lam? frock and shove his stunning toaster cozy up his hypocritic ass.

Anonymous, 2013-01-01 10:40:11

er ... that would be lam

Anonymous, 2013-01-01 10:43:34

ok, no accent then lame.

BOB KELLERMAN, 2013-01-01 19:09:21

(my comment, made from my phone, got mangled) --- THIS POPE IS SO UGLY TOWARD GAYS THAT HE HELPS THE CAUSE, BY LOOKING RIDICULOUS, HATEFUL, AND PETTY.

Jim Shea, 2013-01-03 14:52:34

Who cares what this pathetic church and it’s pathetic pathological bishops and priests think. They have perverted the message of Jesus for their own sake and if he were here now he would turn their tables over too as institutional religion was then and probably not now a place where he thought we would find our god. Our god he argued was within you and me. Jesus said that salvation was not the exclusivity of the Temple and it is certainly not the exclusivity or even the domain of this perverted institution. The best way I know how to respond is to answer them back and say "who cares what you think" and more and more of the population seems to agree.

Wayne Madden, 2013-01-03 22:11:19

Archbishop Nichols pretends that giving legal recognition to same-sex marriage will undermine of weaken opposite sex marriage. Nothing can be further from the truth. Just because two Gay men or two Lesbians marry does not undermine the right and choice of an opposite-sex couple to marry. If this were so, then the Roman Catholic prohibition on married priests also undermines traditional marriage. Given that Nichols is not married and never has been married, one wonders why he thinks he is an expert on the topic anyway.

Halo 4 launched in the U.K. with an aerial lighting performance visible for miles over London. Several other events were held around the city to celebrate the launch of one of the year’s most anticipated video games.